


Choices

by deutschistklasse



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, For the Prince's Benefit, Gen, Jee POV, Mutiny, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22834366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deutschistklasse/pseuds/deutschistklasse
Summary: General Iroh wasn't allowed to accompany the banished Prince on his quest. The Prince shouts, the crew grumble, they are headed for possible disaster and Jee takes action.
Relationships: Jee & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 326
Collections: Finished111





	Choices

Lieutenant Jee heard the crew grumble and mutter since the day their young captain regained consciousness. The banished Prince arrived alone, with a life-threatening injury if not treated right. The ship’s healer was good, but his thirteen-year-old patient was on his feet the second day, shouting orders and heaping verbal abuse on the crew. This didn’t help his healing nor his position.

Their young captain was a slave-driver. He inspected everything, and even the smallest mistakes made him angry. And his obsession with searching for the Avatar was somewhat scary. Because of this, he forced the crew to drill firebending forms and maneuvers endlessly, even if he never tried to train with them. Jee saw him more than once flinch from his people's errant flames. He wasn’t surprised, that burn was too fresh. Seasoned warriors would have problems with fire after that experience.

Jee watched the banished Prince with pity, it was clear he didn’t know what to do. It was rumored that General Iroh was supposed to accompany him, but at the last minute was denied access on the ship. The General could have tempered their young captain and appeased the crew, giving much-needed guidance and encouragement, but he wasn’t here. Jee was. And he knew if he didn’t intervene, the crew would certainly revolt and throw the Prince overboard or in a cell.

So how better to keep a mutiny under control, than to stage a mutiny in favor of the Prince. He whispered about their Prince’s burn and banishment, he raised questions about why a thirteen-year-old would be made captain, how he surely hadn’t had any military training, careful to evoke a little bit of concern and sympathy for the Prince but to not cause treasonous thoughts against their Fire Lord. Even if said Fire Lord sent a heavily burned child to chase a legend with a crew of misfits.

He organized everything, even the crew’s position. The opportunity arose on their third week with the Prince. Hearing his orders to go and search the Western Air Temple, Jee simply refused it. Afterward, he watched the Prince erupt in anger, then try and fail to arrest him for insurrection, the crew too disobeying his orders. The firebenders in the crew closed in on them, cutting off the Prince’s escape routes.

Jee saw the exact moment when the Prince realized his situation. With his hopes shattered, he began shouting and placed his feet in a firebending position, but his form was shaky and his breathing labored. It was apparent to everyone that the Prince was afraid of them and was really close to a panic attack, but he wouldn't just give up without a fight. So Jee remained collected and explained calmly that they wanted to work with him, but in the present situation, it was impossible. His constant verbal abuse and disrespect for the crew, his lack of officer training made him a liability, a hazard to everybody on the ship. Even to himself.

He emphasized that they could have locked him up or made him simply disappear since day one, but they weren’t child-abusers or murderers. That’s why they wanted to present him with a choice. Jee watched the Prince bristle a bit, but he was calming down and listening, therefore he continued.

The first possibility was to go back to the healer’s room, wait until his burn was fully healed, then begin training with Jee in firebending and military tactics, and just after he learned all he could about captainship and navigation would they search for the Avatar.

The second choice was to dock at a friendly port, give him some money and allow him to leave and search for the Avatar on land. But they wouldn’t help him further in his quest. He made it clear to the Prince that being banished he lost the Fire Lord’s and the army’s protection, so even if he wanted to court-martial them he wouldn’t be able. Not on Fire Nation soil.

He knew what the Prince’s choice would be, and he knew that later he would try to rebel against them. But not now. While he escorted the resigned thirteen-year-old back to the healer, he mentally composed a list of everything he needed to teach him. And knowing how hot-headed teenagers were, he prepared himself to become a strict but much safer teacher (and possibly father-figure) than the Fire Lord ever could have been.


End file.
